Simone Magill says she is determined to show that being a mother and a footballer can co-exist as she continues her return to the Northern Ireland squad. The 31-year-old Birmingham City striker and Northern Ireland captain gave birth to her first child, Skye, in May and is now training with the team ahead of Friday’s World Cup play-off with Portugal, though the first round of the play-offs have come too soon for her to feature.
Magill has been away from the squad for nearly a year, since announcing her pregnancy last November. She is back in camp after conversations with manager Michael McArdle, who has spoken about the importance of family. Skye and Magill’s husband, Mark, are with her for the duration, giving a glimpse of how her return to international football could work.
“It’s so different, but it’s so special,” Magill said. “I’m really enjoying being back in, and I think I find it weirder having my husband here than having Skye.”
The support around her has been central. Magill said the Irish FA and her Northern Ireland team-mates have ensured “I don’t need to worry about anything”. Skye and Mark have been integrated into camp, joining the team for meals and downtime, while Mark looks after Skye during on-pitch matters and meetings so Magill can focus on football. “She’s now got 23 aunties who are all very hands-on,” Magill said.
Magill admitted there was some apprehension before camp about how returning with Skye would look. While she is not the first Northern Ireland player to have a child and return to playing – defender Sarah McFadden gave birth to her second child in 2024 – Magill is the first to have her family integrated into the camp. She described the situation as relatively new in the game, adding that she feels “a sense of obligation to pave the way”. Having Skye and Mark in camp, she said, has been “game-changing”, and she noted that a new mother in a more traditional job would have a year off while her career means she is looking to get back on the pitch as quickly as possible.
“Football will always be a large part of my life but it’s very much what I do, not who I am,” Magill said. “Ultimately, I’m Skye’s mum and, to me, that’s the most important thing.” She added: “I’m a mum first and foremost and that is the highest title that I will ever have.”
Magill stopped playing matches when she found out she was expecting but remained active in training and the gym until a few weeks before Skye was born. Four weeks after giving birth she was back doing gym work, and she returned to the pitch after 13 weeks. Now fully training again, she hopes to be back playing matches later in the autumn.
She has spent longer away from playing matches than she did with an ACL injury at Euro 2022, but the stresses of rehab are absent. Skye has given her a new drive and purpose. Magill is only five games away from a century of international caps and is the second-highest scorer in the history of the Northern Ireland women’s team. She dreams of walking out onto the pitch with her daughter in her arms. “Skye will not necessarily remember any of this, but I will,” she said. “When she’s older she can look back and see the hard work that I put in to come back and play, and it was all for her.”
Magill also said that when she announced her pregnancy, many people assumed it would be the end of her football career. “But I was like, ‘well, no, absolutely not’,” she said. She wants to be a voice for the idea that motherhood and football can both exist, and she cited McFadden as a role model for balancing family and football. With younger members in the squad, she hopes it becomes normal to see a player with a child bring that child into camp.
“I’ve always wanted to inspire people on the pitch, but hopefully this is something I’ve done off the pitch that could also inspire future generations to show that it’s possible,” she said.